Proverbs 28:4
The Law and the Wicked
This proverb contrasts those who break the law and those who obey the law.
A. They That Forsake the Law
1. The Law to which Solomon refers is the Law of Moses… which is also God’s Word.
a. The Mosaic Law was to Israel what the US Constitution is to the US. (And more!)
b. It was the Law of the land.
c. It included their religious life (sacrifices; feast days; etc.) but it also included their civil laws and responsibilities—to the government and to each other as citizens.
d. The Law outlined the moral code that the nation of Israel was to live by… and it included penalties for violation of those laws.
e. The Law of Moses was given for the good of the people of Israel.
• Prov. 28:3 just mentioned oppressing the poor. The Law of Moses had provisions to protect the poor.
• It had provisions to assure that justice was conducted in their courts of law; 2 or 3 witnesses; no false witnesses.
• It had provisions to protect women – laws against rape, etc.
• It had provisions to assure a stable family unit: honor your parents.
• It had provisions to protect private property; laws against stealing.
• It had provisions to protect human life – thou shalt not kill.
f. The law was made to protect good people from wicked people.
• This was true not just of Israel, but of every government in every nation.
• Rom. 13:1-4 – Citizens are to honor and obey the laws of the land because the powers that be are ordained of God.
• The God-given function of government is to protect its citizens from wicked men.
• The government is to use the sword (capital punishment—and other forms of punishment) to accomplish that task.
• The government’s job is to “execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.” (vs. 4c)
g. For any government to function properly, it is necessary that it be a nation of law and order.
• The order of society is assured by its law-keeping citizens.
• Those who obeyed and upheld the law assured safety and relatively prosperous quality of life for all of its citizens.
• When the laws of any society are honored and obeyed, it is good for the nation as a whole.
• The opposite of a nation of law and order is a nation of anarchy and disorder.
• Nobody would really want to live in that kind of a society.
2. They that forsake the Law:
a. Unfortunately, not everyone does obey the law.
b. That was true in Israel and it is true in every nation under heaven—because all men are sinners.
c. Some men are rebels against any kind of governmental control.
d. Others are just criminals. They break the laws for their own profit and advantage.
e. Some men reject the laws of the land and choose to live by their own rules. Today they often end up in a cabin in the mountains of Montana with an arsenal of weapons just daring a government official to step foot on their property.
f. There were those who forsook the Law in Israel.
g. We in the USA have our fair share of those who forsake the law too.
B. Praise the Wicked
1. Solomon says that they that forsake the law “praise the wicked.”
2. At first this sounds like an unusual thing to say; but when you ponder the words for a moment, it makes perfect sense.
3. Most sensible people would think it quite abhorrent to actually PRAISE wicked men.
a. Who would praise a serial killer?
b. Who in their right mind would praise a terrorist? (Whether he is a right winger or a left winger!)
c. Who would praise a bank robber? A mugger? A street thug?
d. Who would praise a rapist? A child abuser?
e. Who would praise a leader of the drug cartel?
4. The Hebrew word for praise here is “halal.”
a. Who would hear of a murder and say, “Hallelujah”?
b. Who would read in the paper about the drug cartel kidnapping 10 people and leaving their decapitated bodies on the side of the road, and then shout out, “Hallelujah”?
c. Nobody in their right mind would.
d. Praising the wicked is an absurd concept.
5. Yet Solomon says that those who oppose law and order are doing that very thing—whether they want to acknowledge it or not.
a. They “praise the wicked” either by calling their wicked deeds good or by justifying them.
b. While the person who cheats on his taxes would never praise a bank robber, in a sense, he is siding with him.
c. They are both forsaking the law. They are both standing together against the system of law and order.
d. The wicked support one another and strengthen one another’s hands in their rebellious ways.
e. While the small time tax cheat would never verbally praise the “wicked”; his actions do praise him.
f. His actions say, “Go for it! Take what you can out of the evil system. You deserve it! I’m with you, man! Job well done.”
g. Birds of a feather flock together. Lawbreakers of all stripes are really on the same side… supporting, standing with, and praising one another.
A. Those Who Keep the Law
1. As opposed to the law breaker, there are law “keepers.”
a. The term “keep” can mean observe; obey.
• In light of the contrast in the first part of the proverb (forsaking the law), Solomon obviously meant those who obey and observe the law.
• It refers to law-abiding citizens.
b. However, the term has other shades of meaning that Solomon may have been hinting at with the use of this term.
• It can also mean to revere; to care for; to preserve.
• It was used of Adam and Eve “caring” for the garden.
• It is used of a shepherd “caring for” his sheep.
• There is the implication in the use of this term that those who keep the law (by obeying it) are also preserving and protecting the concept of law and order.
• Sometimes in Proverbs, the usage of a term or expression is chosen BECAUSE it is a bit ambiguous and could be taken in a couple of different ways. Proverbs were designed to cause the reader to think and ponder what is meant.
c. Those who “keep” the law do so in two ways:
• They keep it by obeying it and doing what it says.
• They keep it by preserving it… caring for the concept of law and order as a farmer would care for a garden or a shepherd would care for his sheep.
B. Contend With Them
1. Those who keep, obey, honor, revere, and uphold the system of law and order CONTEND with those who don’t.
a. “Them” at the end of the verse refers back to “the wicked.”
2. Thus, there is a contrast in this passage:
a. Those who forsake the law PRAISE the wicked.
b. Those who keep the law CONTEND with the wicked.
3. These are two completely different attitudes towards the wicked.
a. There is no middle ground. You cannot be neutral.
b. It is an either/or situation.
c. Either you stand with wicked lawbreakers or you stand against them. Either you praise them or contend with them.
4. “Contending with the wicked” will be with us until the New Heaven and the New Earth!
a. Here Solomon informs us of something we already know – that there will always be a battle between law keepers and law breakers… between law abiding citizens and criminals.
b. Prov. 28:7 states that contrast as well – between one who keeps the law (a wise son) and one who does not – (a companion of riotous men).
5. There is good application for the local church too.
a. Those who violate the Word of God and seek to forsake the Scriptures are in fact praising the wicked.
b. And those who honor God’s Word and seek to obey it will always be engaged in a spiritual battle with those who don’t honor God’s Word.
c. Since the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 there has been an ongoing battle in churches to maintain obedience to the Word and the upholding of sound doctrine.
d. And there has always been the attacks from the Wicked One who seeks to destroy the purity of the churches by praising those who depart from the Scriptures.
e. There will always be those in the church who stand FOR the truth and also stand AGAINST all forms of error – doctrinal and moral.
f. And as much as we hate to have to fight—we have to. We are engaged in a spiritual battle.
g. We have two choices: either to honor God’s Word and uphold it OR dishonor it and disobey it.
h. If we choose to dishonor the Word, then we are actually praising wicked men.
i. But if we choose to honor and obey God’s Word, we will always be engaged in contention with wicked men and the wicked One – Satan.
j. We must not candy-coat evil; we can’t call evil good in order to avoid contention. Contention is unavoidable.
k. I wish we didn’t have to contend with evil; but I would rather contend with wickedness than praise it and stand with it.